


Indiana Megido and the Sea Dweller's Archive

by gazetteAuteur



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-27
Updated: 2011-12-27
Packaged: 2017-10-28 06:31:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/304767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gazetteAuteur/pseuds/gazetteAuteur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Trying to translate a particularly troublesome ruin, Aradia gets help from a friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Indiana Megido and the Sea Dweller's Archive

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ClumsyRoyalty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClumsyRoyalty/gifts).



“Augh!” you shout while throwing the book you were reading across the room, where it lands unceremoniously in a pile of charcoal rubbings and further scatters them about. The translation of the runes you found in temple has confounded you for more than half a sweep and you are still no further to the answer than the day you discovered the ruin deep inside of a cave. Every book on the ancient ruins of Alternia has so far proved useless to you, which only fuels your obsession with plundering this particular one's secrets. When you drift closer to giving up on the ruin and pursuing something else there is always a distant, nagging voice in the back of your mind. “It's untranslatable, that means it's special. Why else would everything about it be so _wrong_?”

From behind you feel your lusus lovingly head-nudge you and suddenly the exhaustion hits and you realize you have not slept for several nights. Sometimes it feels like your roles have been reversed in the normal troll/lusus relationship. She often has been the one to nudge you towards remembering to keep care of yourself while you work through the days, shades tightly drawn to keep out the harsh sun while you work. As you get up from the mixed pile of books, paper and the occasional rock fragment to head to the nourishblock on a quest for a meal for yourself and your lusus, you hear the chirp of Trollian from your husktop sitting underneath yet another pile of papers on your desk. Looking down at your lusus you assure her that you'll answer this message and then go with her.

cuttlefishCuller [CC] began trolling apocalypseArisen [AA]  
CC: )(ey Aradia!  
CC: W)(at are you doing awake at t)(is glubbing )(our?  
CC: )(AV-E YOU -EV-EN SL--EPT???  
AA: n0thing i'm fine feferi d0n't w0rry  
AA: i was w0rking 0n a pr0ject  
CC: Is t)(at t)(e same one t)(at's been krilling all of your free time?  
CC: T)(e time you US-ED to spend c)(atting wit)( me? 38(  
AA: 0h well yes i supp0se it is  
AA: n0t that i'm av0iding y0u it's just really c0mplicated  
AA: it's funny just bef0re y0u messaged me my lusus was apparently thinking the same thing  
AA: th0ugh in her 0wn way 0f c0urse  
CC: )(-E)(-E)(-E)(-E)(-E I'm s)(ore s)(e is just trying to keep you safe!  
CC: and )(ow )(as t)(is secret project been going???  
AA: it's 0k  
CC: 38(  
CC: T)(at's a w)(ale of a lie!!!  
CC: I told you t)(at I'd LOV---E to )(elp if you need it!!  
CC: As t)(e --EMPR-ESS TO B---E I )(appen to know a LOT about our )(istory!!!  
CC: You just need to glub up and ask!!  
AA: i usually keep t0 myself 0n matters like this  
AA: but i am at a standstill  
AA: maybe y0u will rec0gnize these  
apocalypseArisen [AA] sends file c0nfusingruin.jpg  
apocalypseArisen [AA] sends file c0nfusingruinrubbings.zip  
AA: 0k i'm g0ing t0 g0 rest f0r a bit  
AA: let me kn0w if y0u can get anything fr0m these  
\-- apocalypseArisen [AA] is now an idle troll! --  
CC: O)( wow Aradia I can't make fins or tails over t)(ese!!!  
CC: I've never seen anyfin like t)(is before!!!  
CC: glub glub )(mmmm.....  
CC: Per)(aps I can kelp some other way t)(ough!  
CC: T)(ere is a CAC)(-E OF )(IDD-EN KNOWL-EDG------E t)(at I know about near t)(e s)(ore closest to you!  
CC: It's only a few )(ours walk for you so w)(enever you get t)(is )(--EAD OV----ER!!! 38D  
cuttlefishCuller [CC] sends file seadwellerarc)(ivesmap.jpg  
cuttlefishCuller [CC] ceased trolling apocalypseArisen [AA]  


Some hours later you wake up in the early evening, still slightly exhausted but at least able to coherently make out the map that Feferi had sent you. Checking Trollian to thank her you notice that she is offline, though due to the time of day it was a long shot anyway. With a few hours to go until it will be remotely safe enough to make the six hour trek, you gather your important archeological tools, a satchel of supplies, the dirty old hat you found in a crater and your trusty whip. You pace and wait until you can no longer see any signs of the vicious fauna that often lurk around your hive before leaving.

The moons are high in the sky by the time you arrive at the cross-shaped black hive sitting in a sandy valley. The walls look much like the ones you have seen across the ruins of Alternia, but more even more enduring. For such old construction, you think that the entire structure looks incredibly under-weathered. The sand and breeze surrounding it should at least have smoothed the outside over the sweeps, but it still stands sharp and rough, like it was built only yesterday. Though the carvings near the door threaten all, even the highest of the land-dwelling highbloods, with viscous dismemberment and death for entering the building, you can not help but almost laugh at the empty threat this poses. None of the trolls appointed to carry out the punishment would ever be allowed to step foot on Alternia to deal it out. Using the instructions Feferi wrote on the map, you are able to open the massive tiled door by pushing the right stones in the right order. As the last one clicks in to place, the door parts in the middle and groans open, letting out a rush of stale and dusty air to greet you. Entering, the numerous coral lanterns hung from the ceilings automatically turn on and cast a blue-green glow around the library. You close the door behind you and walk towards the treasures sleeping inside the pages on the shelves.

The first thing you notice about the library is that, if there is a classification system in it, you have no idea how it is organized. Doing a quick check through the building to make sure it is safe and secure to work uninterrupted, you are befuddled by how the books are organized. Books about the lives of noble hoofbeast mumblers are right next to a books about a hard-boiled legislacerator who worked in a dense group of hive-stems. Either the entire library was haphazardly shelved or the former caretakers had minds that were constantly fogged. Seeing no other choice, you set up a sort of camp in the center of the cross and begin browsing. Shelf by shelf, aisle by aisle you scan hundreds of titles, looking for a few keywords that may hold the scraps you need to figure out your larger puzzle. After an hour and a half and covering only one of the four wings, you have amassed nearly two dozen titles that may be relevant to your research. You sit down and being to scan them over by the coral-light.

Around halfway through a volume titled “TH3 1MPORT4NC3 OF PROPH3T1C NUM3R4LS” you feel a slight breeze brush against your face and cause a few fragile pages to lift up on the books sitting beside you. Then, like a clap of thunder, the sound of stone-against-stone echos throughout the library. Suddenly, you realize that someone or some _thing_ has not only entered the library, but sealed up the building again. Grabbing your whip, you dash down a side aisle so that you can creep along the backs of the bookcases to watch for your mystery guest. Moving quietly, you strain to listen for hints as to the identity of the intruder. As you get closer to the entrance you year the soft padding of feet and the sound of something sharp and metallic occasionally tapping and scraping against the stone. You turn down an aisle and head towards the center to intercept the source of the noise by surprise. Closing your eyes and taking a few deep breaths, you wait until the sound is only a few feet away before turning the corner, whip brandished and ready to strike. You whisper to yourself, “ _three... two... one_ ,” and swivel in to the center aisle.

 _“AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”_

“Glubbing hell Aradia! You nearly scaled the carp out of me!” says the colorfully dressed sea-troll standing before you.

“Feferi? What are you doing here, how did you get here, what about your lusus,” you say, exasperated at finding your friend standing there and scrambling to pick up a suddenly dropped double trident.

“I just fed her! I was lucky and able to get a huge haul tonight so that she'll be satisfied for a few days! I thought that you could use some help here but I didn't expect to get this kind of greeting,” she says while catching her breath.

“Oh. I kind of expected to be here alone, I don't really expect visitors on these things.”

“That shore sounds boring! Plus, I told you that I wanted to help! What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't show up?”

“Well,” you say while shuffling your feet a bit, “I didn't think you were interested in this part of it.”

“Fishsticks! I wasn't going to let you come to this weird crappie place without assistance. I was only here once and it shore was confusing! These books are scattered everywhere, it would take forever to find things!”

“I suppose that if you really want to...”

“Yay!” she says bubbly while running forward to give you a hug. “Whale, we'd better get started then! There's just so much here to sea!”

For the next two hours you both search the next wing you had planned to browse. Along the way, you describe in intricate detail the ruin you here looking for information on. Feferi listens to you while looking on her side of the aisle with the occasional “glub!” during parts of your monologue or giggling when she pulls out a title that may be of use. You two return to the center and begin perusing through the stacks of books now gathered, passing them back and forth whenever an interesting passage is found. You take pages of notes and Feferi begins to start reading excerpts aloud while you gather more data on the ruins than you thought you would ever find. When the pace of new discovery beings to die down, Feferi then starts to read from a book of humor apparently written by a subjugglators and imitating the voices of her victims. You two pass the book back and forth, trying to outdo the others over-the-top pleads for mercy before you two are slumped on the floor with tears of laughter. Looking over at Feferi while drying your eyes, you can not help but sit there and smile at her. It is then that you notice the rays of the sun beginning to stream in through the small, high windows of the library.

“What's up Aradia, catfish got your tongue?” she says, looking quizzically at your dumbstruck face.

“Look behind you, the sun's out.”

“Oh carp, oh carp carp carp carp. It's day! How could we be so glubbing dumb! There's no way you will make it back to your hive in time! The daywalkers will tear you to bits! We can maybe make it to the water if we hurry!”

She stands and begins to quickly gather all of the supplies and materials on the table before you sigh and answer.

“It's alright Feferi, we can stay here until the evening.” you pause, still feeling exhausted from the previous days without a rest in your recuperacoon. “We just have to somehow stay awake.”

You reach up and tug on her arm and guide her to sit on the floor next to you.

“There's no way I can stay awake that long Aradia, and I've glubbing tried!” she says, trying to stifle a yawn at the same time. “Are you shore that's a good idea? I think we can try to make it to my hive and you can stay there...”

You cut her off by bringing a finger to her lips.

“Even if I could breathe down there, we both might not make it, look how light it is now.”

She looks at you uneasily before letting her shoulders drop slightly in defeat.

“I guess we can stay here then,” she reaches up over her head and grabs the nearest tome. “Look, we can stay awake by going through more of these books!”

Not getting up from the floor, the two of you pull more books down and resume the research, but the dim light entering the building creates a suffocating silence only broken by page turns and the scratch of a pen on paper. After only an hour or so you look over to Feferi and notice that her eyelids have started drooping.

“Hey,” you nudge her with your elbow. “Don't give up on me now, how will I get through these without my research assistant to help?”

“I don't think I'm going to make it Aradia,” she says flatly while the book she is holding slowly slides out of her hands, “if I do fall asleep, promise you'll wake me back up if you can?”

“Cross my bloodpumper hope to die,” you say as you lean over to hug her, hair and all.

“Well, at least the rest of the night went along swimmingly,” she says with a tired smile while letting her head fall heavily against your shoulder as she succumbs to sleep.

The effect of a sleeping Feferi on your shoulder is sudden and exhausting. The restlessness of days is suddenly multiplied until it feels like you have not slept in millions of sweeps. Letting your head gingerly rest on her shoulder, you clutch her closer and are able to let out a sleepy reply before joining her in slumber.

“It shore did.”

The two of you sleep in the center of the library, and the lightmares never come.


End file.
